The following are excerpts from David Levithan’s book, “Two Boys Kissing”.

We caution the reader that these excerpts are graphic, and want it to be known that Fauquier Free Citizen would not normally consider posting such writing on our site, but we believe it is necessary to inform the parents of FCPS students exactly what is in this book.

If you are offended, just keep in mind that children as young as 14 are able to check this book out of the Fauquier High School library without parental consent or knowledge.

Joseph Civitas, Editor

These quotes are taken from the Kindle version of David Levithan’s book Two Boys Kissing which is available from amazon.com. Locations refer to the location within the Kindle book.

Two Boys Kissing is published by Alfred A. Knoff, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, New York, 2013. The book is in circulation in Fauquier County Public Schools, and it is being challenged by the parent s of a student at Fauquier High School.

It’s hard to think of such things when you are busy dreaming or loving or screwing.

Location 39

We were once the ones who were dreaming and loving and screwing.

Location 45

Dreaming and loving and screwing.

Location 93

There are boys screwing for the right reasons and boys screwing for the wrong ones.

Location 256

The father’s face is burning red now. “Do you just go off and fuck men? Is that it? While we’re asleep, you go out and fuck them?”

This guy is telling him all the things he wants to do with his mouth, and all Cooper has to do is type Yeah and Wow and Oh man for the guy to go on.

Location 791

Shit, he thinks, shoving the phone into his pocket.

Location 791

If you free yourself from all the stupid arbitrary shit that society controls us with, you feel more free, and if you feel more free, you can be happier.

All the stupid arbitrary shit.

Stupid arbitrary shit.

Location 832

Stupid arbitrary shit means the president of the United States can wait six years before even saying the disease’s name. Stupid arbitrary shit means it will take a movie star to die and a hemophiliac teenager to die before ordinary people start to mobilize, start to feel the disease needs to be stopped.

Location 840

There are moments where Harry is so revved up, is so horny, that he’d sleep with just about anything.

And now, Harry needs to stop thinking about sex, because his body is starting to….react.

Location 866

Before Neil can protest, Peter kisses him…and stays there. For the first minute or two, it feels totally normal – the tender pressure, tongues corresponding, hands tracing spines, gliding down hips. Then comes the moment in the rhythm when they would usually take a breath – smile or say something or pull back so fingers could trail down. They move through the pause, draw out their ardor. Peter lingers his hand down Neil’s back, slips his fingers beneath his waistband, rests on the skin there, the heat. Neil moves in the opposite direction, his hand rising under the back of Peter’s shirt, between his shoulder blades. Peter still tastes like coffee and milk; Neil tastes like winter mint. Peter’s breath staggers a little in his lungs. Neil touches the nape of his neck, then slowly retreats back down, fingernails raking skin. They are hyperconscious of their bodies, hyperconscious of their breathing. Peter brings his hand around, lifts his palm to Neil’s heartbeat. Minutes pass. Their bodies grow hotter. Their kiss is wetter. …. Their hips lock against each other. Neil’s breath quickens. Peter’s underwear grows tighter. Neither wants to be the one who pulls away. Eleven minutes. Twelve minutes.

Location 1203

He reaches out and puts his hand on the side of Julian’s neck. Leans in. And here it is, them pressing their mouths together, pressing their bodies together. Cooper wants it so badly, wants something, and he doesn’t want to stop for breath, he wants to keep going and going. …. Cooper wants to pull him down to the couch, wants to get him horizontal, but the couch is covered in paintings. ….”The bedroom?” …. …Cooper, not knowing any better, moves out of sequence, goes right for the groin, and Julian pulls away, directs him back above the waist, but Cooper’s not feeling what he wants to feel. He retreats for a few minutes, kissing with him on top, then rolling them over so they’re kissing with him on the bottom, groins touching now, him feeling what’s going on beneath Julian’s jeans, then rolling over again so he can take off his shirt and then take off Julian’s shirt. Now it’s skin on skin, sweat on sweat, and it’s hot, it’s really hot, but Cooper’s still not feeling what he want to feel – it still feels empty to him – he’s feeling empty – so he kisses Julian harder, moves his hands down there, and Julian whispers, “Not yet,”…. Julian says, “Let’s go a little slower. It’s just the first date.”

Location 1301

If this were porn, they’d be naked by now, they’d be blowing each other. …Julian thinks that right now he’s tonguing the nipple of a nineteen-year-old college student with two roommates back home, and nineteen-year-old college student who has his shit together…. he’s a seventeen-year-old boy and a breeze can make him hard, and while he’s till hard, he feels like it’s not going to go anywhere…. he wants to be screwing himself into oblivion, and knows, completely knows, that Julian is not the guy for the job. In fact, the only guy for the job would probably be someone who didn’t give a shit at all about him, and that would only be worse.

Location 1329

“This is bullshit.”

You’re bullshit.

Location 1388

“FAAAAAAAAAAGGOTS! DIRTY FAAAAAGGOTS!”

Location 1422

“This is what gays do – they stop at nothing to be in our faces with their disgusting habits and then act like they’re the ones being treated badly…..I don’t think the founders of our country really had two homosexuals on their minds when they wrote the Constitution….”

Location 1622

“If we let this go on, what’s next? Men having sex with dogs in a church? Is that free speech?”

Location 1641

No matter how strong Avery gets, there will always be this subterranean fear, this nagging shame. We want to whisper to him that the only way to free yourself from shame is to realize how completely arbitrary it is – just what he was saying a day ago. Stupid arbitrary shit. He needs to take those words to heart. There is power in saying, I am not wrong. Society is wrong. Because there is no reason men and women should have separate bathrooms. There is no reason that we should ever be ashamed of our bodies or ashamed of our love. We are told to cover ourselves up, hide ourselves away, so that other people can have control over us, can make us follow their rules. It is a bastardization of the concept of morality, this rule of shame. Avery should be able to walk into any restroom, any restaurant, without any fear, without any hesitation.

Location 1805

Why the fuck does he have to be polite to people like this?

He tells the guys who want “masculine only” that they’re just as bad as homophobes…

He tells the guys who say “whites only” that they’re racist scum.

He tells the sixty-year-olds who are looking for “under 18s” that they are pedophiles.

He tells the younger guys with naked pics that they should stop prostituting themselves. …. Are you afraid to show your face? Is that why you show your dick? …. I think there’s something wrong with my screen. I can’t tell if that’s your ass or your face.

Location 1832

“What the fuck do you guys want?” Ryan spits out.

Location 2109

“Fuck you,” Avery says.

“No,” Skylar says, “Fuck you.”

Location 2135

“Yeah, fag, great to see you, too,” Skylar replies.

Location 2145

“I’m sorry,” he says. “Truly, I’m sorry. I’m such a dick.”

Location 2339

You’re fucking this up, boy. Don’t be a dick.

Location 2348

We who did nothing more than dream and love and screw – why have we been banished here, why hasn’t the world solved this by now?

Location 2417

From all the camera crews, he knows the story is going to spread, and he hopes that maybe it’ll make people a little less scared of two boys kissing than they were before, and a little more welcoming to the idea that all people are, in fact, born equal, no matter who they kiss or screw, no matter what dreams they have or love they give.

Location 2466

Why the fuck does he have to be polite to people like this?

Location 1832

Comments

comments

Subscribe to FFC via Email

Subscribe to FFC and receive notifications of new posts by email.Leave Blank:Do Not Change:

Your email:

Subscribe to FFC via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to FFC and receive notifications of new posts by email.